Members of Congress Vote for Higher Minimum Wage While Offering Unpaid Internships

In
2007, both of Michigan's senators and seven of the House of Representative
members currently serving voted to raise the federal minimum wage. However, all
nine of these elected officials offer unpaid internships for their
congressional offices.

This
information comes on the heels of an Obama administration announcement this past
spring that the Department of Labor would begin cracking down on unpaid
internships offered by private businesses. The department seeks to eliminate
unpaid internships for nearly all for-profit companies.

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Some
believe this is a sign of hypocrisy by these members of congress and that there
is value in unpaid internships.

"If
these congressional members truly believe it is exploitation to hire workers
below the minimum wage, then surely hiring workers for nothing is even worse,"
says Donald Boudreaux, a professor of economics at George Mason University.

"How
do they explain themselves?"

The
Fair Minimum Wage Act was enacted in 2007, passing overwhelmingly. The law
raised the minimum wage gradually from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. Both
Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow voted for the bill.
In the House, Reps. Dale Kildee (D-5), Fred Upton (R-6), Candice
Miller (R-10), Thaddeus McCotter (R-11), Sandy Levin (D-12), John Conyers
(D-14) and John Dingell (D-15) all voted for the higher wage.

But
a review of these candidates' websites shows that they all offer unpaid
internships for congressional staff members and pages. Nearly all the offices
offer only unpaid internships, the
only exception being Rep. McCotter's office, which pays a stipend for its
full-time interns, but nothing for those working part-time.

"The
research says that the only true minimum wage is zero, which is what many
people find themselves making as a direct result of being priced out of jobs as
a result of government mandates," said Michael LaFaive, director of the
Mackinac Center's Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative.

LaFaive
believes many youth take unpaid internships as a stepping stone for their first
job and that outlawing unpaid internships hurts workers. "If politicians think they
can simply command that people are worth 'x' amount without consequence, than I
dare them to raise the minimum wage to $100 so we can all live in a workers'
paradise.

"The
reason they don't is because they know such a tactic would cause widespread
unemployment and may even cost them their own jobs."

But
despite voting for the higher minimum wage, Sen. Levin's website says, "The
[internships] are non-paid positions that last five to 12 weeks during the
summer or for more extended periods during the school year."

Dr.
Boudreaux asks, "Are young men and women
who choose to build their resume by working free of charge for [Levin] more
intelligent and far-sighted than are young men and women who would choose to
build their resumes by working in the private sector at wages below the
legislated minimum?"

None
of the senatorial or congressional offices responded to requests for comment.

Obamacare repeal-and-replace is underway, and regardless of whether it passes or fails big, changes are coming for Michigan’s medical services and insurance industry, and the state’s social welfare system, especially Medicaid.

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